Argentina's keepers show dislike for technology

at
12:45 AM

Argentina's goalkeepers weighed in against different forms of technology on Monday with one saying aids would rob soccer of its essence while another reckoned the World Cup ball may be causing Lionel Messi's [ ] goal drought.

Argentina's Carlos Tevez [ ] was offside for the first goal in Sunday's 3-1 win over Mexico while England's [ ] Frank Lampard [ ] had a shot which crossed the line but was not given, reopening the debate about whether technology should be introduced.

"Technology? Not for me, because it takes away what football is about," Argentina's giant pony-tailed first-choice keeper Sergio Romero told a news conference.

"Football is for people who play with cunning...so to put technology like a chip in the ball to see if it went in...I think you take away the cunning and then football ends for the great players.

"Football is for the cunning, not for technology."

Messi's failure to score in Argentina's four matches could be down to the controversial synthetic and seamless Jabulani ball, reserve keeper Mariano Andujar said.

Messi has come close to scoring on several occasions as the twice champions reached a quarter-final against Germany [ ] but he has yet to add to his solitary goal at the 2006 finals.

"I was surprised that they made such a bad ball for such an important competition," said Andujar of the widely-criticised official tournament ball.

"This goes beyond making the goalkeeper's job more complicated, it affects crossfield passes which move about and are hard for players to dominate (and when) Lionel kicks to the far post and the ball doesn't take the spin he wants to give it.

"It doesn't allow the great players at this World Cup to express or show everything they can do with a ball at their feet," he said at Argentina's University of Pretoria base.

Central defender Walter Samuel took part in a practice game involving coach Diego Maradona's [ ] reserve players against their sparring junior team having recovered from a thigh muscle injury and should be available for selection against Germany.

Argentina face the Germans in Cape Town on Saturday looking to avenge their elimination by the same opponents at the same stage of the 2006 finals in Germany.